Words
by PavedWithBadIntentions
Summary: The words that mean the most to Clare, and the ones that Eli just can't manage to find a way to say. But hey, Christmas is a time of miracles, right?


**A/N ****I'll get back to doing author mentions with my next post, but this was a randomly inspired little Christmas fic that popped in my mind. I hope you enjoy the fluff and your holidays! I love you all! :)**

**Next to be updated will be Sleepyhead. JUST SO YOU KNOW.**

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"Clare, get back in here right now! You do know it's freezing outside?"

Mrs. Edwards called out to her daughter that had walked out the front door, and out into the storming blizzard that was present this night. It was Christmas Eve, and Eli was inside, directly behind Mrs. Edwards.

He was laughing at his stubborn girlfriend as she turned around for a second, grinning at her mother.

"Really? It has to be freezing to have it snow? I never knew."

With that, she pivoted and went back to walking down the sidewalk and onto the lawn which was covered by a wintry white blanket.

Clare was hardly properly dressed for the heavy snowfall, but she seemed happily content as she plopped down at the place she stood, and then assumed a position of lying down on her back.

From this view, everything was perfect. The snowfall had its own distinct sound and even smell. Besides the occasional shouts by her mother, which were steadily growing less determined, the silence was extraordinary.

Clare lifted her head up and turned it to the side when she heard the sound of crunching snow made from approaching footsteps. Eli's legs came into quick focus as he neared and he stood near her, looking down at her.

Her exterior was dusted with snow and her cheeks were stained a rosy pink as her eyes twinkled from refracted light of the overdone Christmas displays.

"You are the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen," He smiled down at her. They exchanged jovial expressions before she reached out and grabbed the back of his knees, pulling him down into the snow beside her.

"Really?" He said through laughter. She nodded as she giggled at him.

"Oh yes." Their laughter died down, but the looks of undying happiness would not subside. Eli's hand found hers, and their fingers intertwined together.

Their faces turned to look back at the white sky. Despite the fact that it was past midnight, the snow storm allowed the sky to not darken. They sighed in unison, hearts beating in rhythmic calm.

"This is so perfect." It was perfectly understood that he not only meant the peaceful environment, but also the fact of sharing his time with the beautiful girl lying next to him. They both enjoyed the nonverbal parts of their relationship as much as the verbal. Whether it was physical or not, their time together was never looked back upon as a waste.

Clare turned to look at him, captivated by him still, and didn't doubt the fact that he would always be breath taking to her. "Eli?"

He turned to look at her; her waiting eyes wide and patient, but most certainly anxious for his response. He considered being teasingly mean in his answer to her, but instead decided otherwise, her docile expression too cute to destroy. "Yes, Clare?"

"You know I love you, right?"

He let the snowflakes fall off his face as he moved his head, leaning in closer to her. He watched the snowflakes kiss her pale face before he did likewise, planting kisses along her skin. As short and light as the snowflakes that dissolved before his lips reached there.

At a pace much slower than that of the snowfall, his lips ghosted over hers. Their eyes remained open, basking in each other's soft breathing.

"I know."

She smiled for a brief second, but it fell soon after. He was so affectionate in every possible way with her. Treating her like the most precious gift the world had ever been graced with. But he could never say it. He had come close, so she knew he did. But hearing the three words was all she could possibly think of.

Clare turned her head to the opposite side of Eli, wanting to regain her calm mood by staring at something that just wasn't him. She felt like maybe she was asking too much of him, maybe he just wasn't ready to say what she had considering his past. But then again, she had never asked him to say it back or anything.

"Clare."

His soft voice made her turn her head back to face him. His face was serious, and this time, it was his eyes that held the anxiously waiting quality Clare had possessed moments ago.

"You know what else I know?"

She searched Eli's face; looking for some answer without having to pose another question to get his response. His face remained constant, fixed in anticipation of her taking the next step in questioning him.

"What, Eli?"

There was a slight bit of bitter coldness in her voice that chilled them both more than the snow they lay on top of. She regretted it, but he brushed it off in realization that she probably was just as anxious to see what he had to say as much as he was to say it.

"I know there's no other place I'd rather spend today…or any other day, really, than with you," he started, slowly figuring his way around the words and putting them together best as he could, "And well, I guess what I've been trying to say for the last few months, is that… I love you."

He mumbled and stumbled over his words still, but kept as much of eye contact as his fumbling communication would allow.

Her eyes lost their impatient harshness, and softened immediately. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but the reality of him vocalizing the words fully made her speechless.

He swallowed loud enough to be heard through the surrounding silence, "And I mean it. I've meant it for so long, Clare, it's just that-"

And just like that, Clare Edwards had taken the role Eli typically dominated, silencing his words with a sweet, heartfelt kiss that consummated their words in a complete way. They stayed outside for a bit longer, away from the rest of the world, celebrating their own Christmas together.

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**I dunno. HOPE YOU LIKED IT**.


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